


Darling's Garden

by greenet



Category: Ephemera
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 19:45:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/141075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenet/pseuds/greenet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Healing can be difficult, but it helps to have friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Darling's Garden

**Author's Note:**

  * For [minnaleigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/minnaleigh/gifts).



Michael worried, Glorianna knew that, but taking her time, waiting to heal, had never been something she did. Caitlin still needed her help, and it would give Michael a chance to see his sister again. And it would give them both a chance to get off the island and interact with people. She was still a little off from what she had been, but she couldn't keep hiding. It wouldn't help.

They had stopped by Raven's Hill first. Glorianna wanted to see how it was going when Nathan was there on his own. Ephemera felt lighter. The village was lacking a simmer of suspicion and mistrust that had been there the last time she was there. It was not completely gone, but the feel of the place was definitely better. She could tell that Michael felt it too by the way he relaxed and looked around.

The stay hadn't been long. Nathan was still hoping for a Landscaper to come by. He'd been disappointed when she still couldn't tell him when. He'd spread the word about Sorrow as he'd promised. The mystery woman had already reached mythic status in the village.

They arrived at Darling's Harbour two days later. Glorianna was unsurprised to see that people had gathered in curiosity. In a harbour town it happened whenever an unexpected ship docked. It wasn't the whole village this time though. Their Heart Seer had finally arrived and they weren't waiting any longer.

"That's Caitlin," Michael said, coming up behind her and pointing at a slim figure standing on the dock. He sounded happy. Glorianna was glad to hear it. Then he muttered something about "ripe bastards" and Glorianna spotted Kayne waiting with Caitlin. She suppressed a grin.

Caitlin was the first to approach them once the ship had moored. She seemed lighter, more at ease with herself and the world. She smiled in greeting. "Glorianna! How nice to see you again!" They hugged briefly. Caitlin's hair brushed just past her shoulders now.

"Would you like to see what I've done with the garden?"

"Nothing I would like more," Glorianna said with a smile.

Michael stayed behind to regard Kayne with deep suspicion. Sometimes men were truly ridiculous. Andrew attempted to follow the women, tail wagging hopefully, but once Caitlin told him to stay, he did, and seemed equally happy about that.

There was a quiet pride to Caitlin when she opened her garden gate and gestured for Glorianna to enter. She'd been proud the first time as well, but it had been a nervous pride. Then she'd been anxious to discover what Glorianna saw when she looked at her heart, now she was excited.

Darling's garden was more balanced now, when Caitlin wasn't keeping the landscapes that didn't suit her heart. It was still a landscape that could be imposed over another place, but it would probably stay with Caitlin for now. There were still stones showing the dark places, and a corner dark with jade. Anger makes stones, but strength makes stone also. Caitlin had planted delicate pink and white flowers Glorianna hadn't seen before around the corner. The flowers were stubbornly clinging to the jade, threatening to grow over it.

There was a cluster of bright yellow sunflowers by the wall. The fountain had wall-rockets growing by the base in a small clump, small yellow flowers shining through. There was a row of red, orange and yellow flamboyan-de-jardin separating out a square of the garden, probably denoting an area of landscapes that were connected both by land and resonance. Glorianna walked into the square, looking around with interest. There was a small wrought iron bench with a thorny, wooden vine growing over one of the arm rests. The vine had magenta bracts with a cluster of small white flowers softening the harshness of it.

"What are these?"

"I don't know," Caitlin admitted. "I call them paper flowers because of the leaves." She touched one of the magenta bracts to demonstrate.

"Do you know where this is?" Glorianna touched the flower as well.

Caitlin shook her head. "Not yet. Somewhere warm, I think."

Glorianna nodded. "You should go find out."

"I will, I just." Caitlin hesitated, then shrugged. "I want to learn a little more first. I don't want to get lost and not find my way back." That was sensible.

Caitlin was still learning how to gather landscapes that resonated with her heart, but she had a good start. She felt strongly, so of course her landscapes were bright as well. Bright and sharp. Glorianna had grown up with a mother who was a landscaper, and she'd been further taught at the school how to keep her garden, but Caitlin was doing well.

She could still needed to learn a little patience, a little control. She was young though and it would come. Glorianna felt ancient some times now and she wasn't _that_ old, no matter what Lee said. Lee was a pain and she loved him dearly. She knew he wanted his sister back the way she'd been, but he never said that to her.

Caitlin watched her nervously. "Well? What do you think?"

"It's beautiful," Glorianna said sincerely.

Caitlin relaxed visibly and smiled. "Thank you. I've had help with the weeding and such. Peg and Moira are a lot of help--" Peg was the anchor of Darling's Harbor and Moira was her granddaughter. "--and Kayne is too." Caitlin blushed.

Glorianna grinned. "Don't tell Michael that."

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "Michael is ridiculous."

They laughed, and then Caitlin showed her a small circle where a Heart's Hope grew, surrounded by small blue forget-me-nots and white daisies.

Nadia had been right; Visiting a friend had helped. Of course, she often was. Mothers could be so irritating like that, Glorianna thought fondly. She'd walked back down to the docks on her own, leaving Caitlin to arrange her house for visitors.

She felt more at peace now. Another piece of her had settled down, integrated back into her self.

Michael watched her a moment, then smiled and bumped her shoulder before circling her waist and pulling her closer. "Feel better now?"

"I do, yes." She leaned against him and they watched the sea silently, together. After a moment, she turned her head to look at him, wanting him to see how serious she was. "Thank you for coming with me."

Michael gave her a startled look. "Of course."

"No, I mean." Glorianna tried to find the right words for what she was feeling. "Thank you for being here. It means a lot to me." She meant both right now, right here, and through everything that had happened.

His expression softened. "Oh." He held her a little closer. "It means a lot to me too," he assured her, and she was smiling as she leaned in for a kiss.

"We'll use Caitlin's garden to go home later," Glorianna said afterwards. "She invited us to dinner first."

"I know. Kayne told me," Michael scowled, and Glorianna's laugh rang out.


End file.
